


There's An Endless Road To Rediscover

by akwardcadabra



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Androids Shutting Down, Angst, Big brother Connor, But Nines Shuts Down, Crying, De-Aged RK900, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, Gen, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor Parent-Child Relationship, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, It's Not Really Dying, Kid Fic, Not really though, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Protective Connor, Sickfic, Thunderstorms, for like two chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2019-12-26 23:32:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18292409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akwardcadabra/pseuds/akwardcadabra
Summary: “I’ll transfer your memory into the YK500 unit. Don’t be scared. You might have some character changes or different needs but I’ll be there. And once your body is repaired, we will transfer the memory back. Now close your eyes and hold still.” Connor said gently.---Or: A De-Aged RK900 fic wherein Connor is a good big brother.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is another WIP. Yes, I will continue my other WIP for Detroit (even if the sequel one might take some time because I have writer's block).   
> Anyways, this idea randomly got into my head and I really wanted to write about de-aged Nines with Connor as his big brother. I kind of re-used the way of how he'd de-aged from my other fanfiction "Through The Eyes Of A Child" but I hope you won't mind.
> 
> Title from "Hey Brother" by Avicii. I don't own any of the chracters or the source material they are from. Neither do I own the song the title is from.  
> Enjoy ^^

Blue blood poured out from under Connor’s fingers as he pulled Nines behind a big machine to shield both of them. The culprit that had broken into the CyberLife facility was long gone but Connor couldn’t have chased him. He couldn’t have left Nines alone like that when he was seriously injured and close to shutting down.

“Alright, Nines.” Connor whispered hoarsely, fighting the tears in his eyes. He knew Nines could be repaired but that did little to ease the crushing weight that had settled deep in his chest. “I need you to stay calm for me. Backup and EMT’s are on their way. I just need you to stay calm.”

Nines’ eyes snapped to Connor’s face, focusing on it. When he spoke, his voice came out static; no doubt his speech components had been damaged. “Brother.”

“Yes, big brother is here.” Connor promised. “Just try to stay calm.”

“I’m shutting down.” Nines warned weakly. “I have five minutes at most.”

Tears were now cascading down Connor’s cheeks but he kept up his gentle caress of his brother’s hair. “That’s alright. You’ll be repaired in no time.”

“B-but I won’t be the same.” 

“Yes, you will. You’ve uploaded your memories and personality to CyberLife and it’ll be downloaded into your repaired body.” The RK800 promised. “You don’t need to be scared, little brother. I’m here and everything will be fine.”

“I haven’t.” Nine explained quietly, his voice sounding all the more static now that he was crying. “I haven’t uploaded anything to CyberLife in months. M-my memories are already getting corrupted. Uploading my memories wasn’t mandatory. I didn’t do it because humans don’t have that option either.”

“What?” Connor exclaimed and Nines winced, closing his eyes. “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling. Stay with me. We just need to upload your memories now.” He looked around. “But there is nothing around. T-this is just a storage unit.”

“Brother, I’m scared. I don’t want to fade and forget all about you.” Nines sobbed quietly, holding onto Connor.

“I know.” Connor whispered and then spotted what they were there for. YK500 units. They weren’t activated after the revolution and released like the adult models were because it was deemed immoral to release them when the couldn’t take care of themselves. There were no other models around and time was running out. “I have an idea. You just have to trust me.” With that, he set Nines down against the machine.

“Don’t leave, big brother!” Nines called out as Connor stood up and walked over to the YK500 models. “Big brother, don’t!”

Connor turned to him, a warm smile on his face. “Don’t be scared. I’ll be right back.”

He quickly got one of the models. It looked surprisingly similar to Nines. But then again blue-eyed brunet children weren’t out of the norm. He got the model over to Nines and sat it down next to him.

“I’ll transfer your memory into the YK500 unit. Don’t be scared. You might have some character changes or different needs but I’ll be there. And once your body is repaired, we will transfer the memory back. Now close your eyes and hold still.” Connor said gently.

Nines followed his instructions. “Big brother.” He whispered. “I only have three more minutes. That time won’t be enough.”

“I’ll leave out unimportant memories that are easy to regain like how to cook something or how to drive a car.” Connor explained and gently connected Nines to the YK500 unit. “This might startle you a bit.” He warned and began the transfer.

Nines gasped in shock, screwing his eyes shut. His brother reached out to stroke his hair in order to calm him.

“You’ll be alright, brother.” Connor promised. “It’ll take one or two weeks at most to repair your body. Everything important will be uploaded. The only thing you’ll need to relearn are simple little things like cooking or driving. And when you’re back in your old body, you can simply download the knowledge again.”

“Will you hold my hand when I shut down?” Nines asked.

Connor nodded and grasped the android’s hand before taking the YK500 unit’s hand in order to keep Nines calm once he woke up. “You’ll be alright. I’ll take care of you and so will Hank. Just relax.”

Nines nodded weakly and eventually spoke up again, his words almost unintelligible through the static. “Shutdown in 10 seconds.”

“That’s alright.” Connor whispered.

“9 seconds.”

“Just breathe with me and concentrate on me.” 

“8 seconds. I’m scared.”

“Don’t be. I’m here with you. I’ll always be.” Connor promised.

“7 seconds. Non-vital biocomponents are shutting down.” Nines explained, opening his eyes again to look at Connor.

“I’m here, little brother.”

“6 seconds, I can’t see you clearly anymore. I can’t move my limbs.”

“I know, I’m still with you, though. Do you feel my hand?”

“No. 5 seconds. Speaking is becoming hard. I’m scared.”

“Don’t speak, then.”

4 seconds left.

“I’m here with you.” Connor promised, even if he knew Nines’ senses were probably betraying him and he couldn’t hear him anymore.

3 seconds until the shutdown.

Connor sobbed quietly as he held Nines’ hand tighter. “I’m still here, brother.”

2 seconds left.

Connor looked at the YK500, hoping his plan had worked.

1 second left. 

The android slowly let go of Nine’s hand and diverted all his attention to the YK500.

The RK900 unit had shut down. Connor broke the connection, hoping it had worked and everything important was transferred. He sat there in anticipation as he slowly activated the child android.

The child android’s eyes moved and focused on Connor. For a second he just stared at the RK800.

“Nines?” Connor asked tentatively.

That’s when the little android moved onto his hands and knees before crawling towards Connor and falling into his arms, sobbing. “Big brother!”

Connor sighed in relief. His plan had worked thus far. “I’m here, Nines. No need to be afraid. I’m here now, little brother.” He stood up, gently lifting Nines into his arms, turning away from the shut down RK900 so the child wouldn’t have to see.

“Big brother, I died! I shut down and I felt every second of it. I was so scared!” Nines wailed and clung to Connor.

“Oh, Nines.” Connor cooed, slowly walking away from their previous spot and toward the door. He held Nines with one arm but his other hand was on his holster, still on alert and ready to protect his little brother. “Nines, you’re alright now.”

That’s when someone burst into the room. Connor immediately turned so Nines was out of the way and pulled his gun, aiming at the intruder. But when he saw that it was Hank and Chris, he put the gun away and turned toward them.

“Connor, where’s Nines? And who’s that child?” Chris asked, confused.

“This is Nines.” Connor explained. “He was badly damaged, but had forgotten to upload his memory to CyberLife previously. So I transferred his memory and personality to this YK500 model before his original body shut down. Maybe you could be so kind as to call someone to take the RK900 model to CyberLife for repairs. I really need to get Nines out of here. He’s pretty shaken up.”

Chris nodded and passed them, calling for someone to help him carry the body. Hank approached them. “Will he be alright?”

“Yes, he’s just shaken up. He remembers me. I don’t know if he remembers you.” Connor explained. “But his repairs could take up to two weeks.”

“That’s alright.” Hank explained. “It’s not your fault.”

Nines turned his head a little. “Hank.” He whispered. “I remember Hank.”

“That’s good, kid. I’m kind of relieved that you do.” Hank chuckled. “Let’s get you two out of here. Connor needs to be looked over, too.”

Connor nodded and they moved to the elevator and into the lobby where other officers and EMTs were waiting. One of the EMTs immediately approached them.

“Is the child injured?” He asked.

“No, he’s a newly activated YK500 model.” Connor explained. “I’m fine, myself.”

“Fine, my ass!” Hank interrupted. “You were clearly shot in the shoulder, son. Let them look at it.”

“Alright. But I need to keep the child with me, yes? He’s in shock and I don’t know who he remembers except for me and Hank.” Connor explained.

“Leave him with me for the few minutes it’ll take to stitch you up.” Hank offered.

Connor looked at Nines, who was still clinging to him. But he was no longer burying his face at Connor’s neck as if he was scared. He was now looking at Connor in adoration. The RK800 smiled gently.

“Can you stay with Hank for a few minutes?” He asked gently. “You know Hank, yes? He’s my dad and he’ll take good care of you.”

“You trust Hank.” Nines whispered. “I trust him, too.”

Connor smiled and nodded. “Yes, can I put you down?”

Nines nodded and slowly walked over to Hank once he was on the ground. The older man put a hand on his shoulder and lead him away.

“Come on, kid. They’ll have to extract the bullet from Connor’s arm. You don’t need to see that.” He lead him to a bench and helped him sit down.

Gavin approached them. “Who’s the kid?” He asked.

“That’s Nines. Connor kind of transferred his memories into this model because Nines was shutting down.” Hank tried to explain.

Gavin looked shocked. “Oh shit. What now?”

“They repair the RK900 and then transfer it back, I think.” Hank shrugged. “Would you mind calling Fowler and explaining it to him?”

The other man nodded and knelt down in front of Nines. “Are you gonna be ok? You look pretty scared.”

“I am scared. Connor is injured and I shut down. That was very scary and it is still scary.” Nines admitted. “But I’m fine.”

“I see.” Gavin thought for a second. He then pulled out his keys and let them dangle from his fingers. It was a few keys attached to a chain, as well as a bottle opener, a small flashlight and a little pocket knife. But there was also a little key charm; it was a little ginger-haired kitten that could easily be clipped to the keychain. “You can have the kitten. Maybe it’ll distract you or calm you down.”

“I can’t take that.” Nines whispered. “It’s yours.”

“It’s fine. Tina gave it to me as a gag gift.” Gavin smiled and unclipped it. “I kept it because it made my keys easier to find.” He held it out to Nines. “Take it. Maybe it’ll help.”

Nines looked at Gavin, unsure of what to do. Then he looked up at Hank. The man nodded quickly. “Take it, if he wants you to.”

Gavin nodded. “Yes, take it.”

Nines reached out for the kitten and then gently held it in his hands, as he watched Gavin get up.

“I’ll call Fowler now. See you later, I guess.” With that, he walked off, already pulling out his phone.

Hank watched him leave and turned to Nines. “Nice of him, huh?”

Nines looked up from absentmindedly petting the kitten’s fake fur. “Yes, it was very nice of him. Do you think Connor will be alright, Hank?”

“Yes, he will. It was a little gunshot wound. He’s resilient.” But Hank sounded scared.

“You sound scared, though. Do you not believe that he’ll be alright?” Nines whispered, terrified.

“No, don’t be scared.” Hank looked at him. “I’m just worried. I know he’ll be alright but I can’t help but worry about him.”

Nines nodded quietly and looked back down at the key charm. Hank looked ahead at the EMT caring for Connor when he heard the boy next to him sniffle quietly.

“Hey, what’s wrong, kid?”

“I don’t want Connor to be hurt.” Nines sniffled quietly, fighting against the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes.

Hank watched the boy worriedly. He then put a hand on his shoulder to which Nines started to cry quietly. Hank was a little lost on how to help the boy. But luckily Connor showed back up at that moment, walking towards them. Hank figured he’d have to spend a little more time with them, see how Connor comforted the boy and get Nines to trust him just as much.

As soon as Nines saw Connor, he jumped up and ran towards him, hugging his legs when he reached the man. “Connor!” He wailed. “I was worried!”

Connor smiled gently and picked up the boy, never minding his hurt shoulder. “It’s alright now, little brother. I’m alright. It was just a little difficult for them to extract the bullet. But fear not, I will be completely fine again by tomorrow morning.”

Nines nodded but buried his face deeper in Connor’s neck. “I was still worried, big brother.”

“I know.” Connor smiled gently and rubbed the boys back, slowly bouncing from foot to foot to soothe him with the rocking motion. “Where did you get that little kitten?”

“Gavin gave it to me.” Nines whispered. “He said it would comfort or at least distract me. That was nice. We should give it back.”

Connor nodded a little. “We need to talk to him anyways. Let’s get dad and then talk to him.”

“Hank’s your dad, not mine.” Nines whispered.

“We’ll talk about that later, yes?” With that, Connor approached Hank. “Let’s talk to Gavin, yes?”

Hank nodded and followed them. “You alright, son?”

“Yes, a little gunshot wound in that location won’t take me down that easily.” Connor smiled. “Don’t worry.”

“I do that anyways.”

“But please don’t worry too much, dad. I’m fine.” Connor said gently. He smiled at the older man brightly and held Nines tighter.

His smiled seemed to have worked, as Hank relaxed a little. “Alright.”

When they met with Gavin, the man turned around. “Fowler says he’ll ask Cyberlife how long it’ll take to repair Nines. But he also wants to talk to us about what to do next, alright? How to catch the culprit and how Nines can help.”

“Not much.” Connor whispered. “I won’t let him get shot and beaten again.”

“He’ll probably have to analyse things and stuff. I mean he still can do that, right?”

“I don’t think so.” Connor said. “That was unique to the RK800 and RK900 models. But I won’t let him get in danger again.”

“Alright, big brother.” Gavin interrupted. “Calm down, we’ll talk to Fowler, yes?”

“Yes.” Connor nodded.

Nines looked up and then held the kitten out to Gavin. “Thank you for lending it to me, Gavin.”

“Ah, keep it for the time being. You migth need it again.” Gavin smiled. “I don’t really have a use for it.”

“But it’s yours.” Nines protested weakly.

“No, it’s fine, keep it.” Gavin shook his head. “I’m your partner; you should listen to me at least a bit.”

“Thank you, Gavin.” Nines whispered and held the kitten to his chest again before cuddling back into Connor. “Can we go home?”

“We need to go speak to Captain Fowler first.” Connor said gently. “But after that, we’ll go home, yes? And then we’ll see if we find some clothes for you.”

“Will you stay with me when we talk to Captain Fowler?”

“Of course, I have to stand up to him if he wants to send you to the field or something.” Connor smiled. “Let’s get going. We’ll see you at the station, Gavin. You came with your own car, after all.”

Gavin nodded. “Yes, see you later.”

Connor smiled politely and then walked toward the door, holding Nines tightly in his arms. Hank followed him and fished for his car keys on the way. Nines seemed to trust Connor a lot and at the moment he seemed pretty reliant on Connor, too. The RK800 was obviously more than ready to help Nines and be a good big brother to him. This was going to be an interesting two weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hank go to talk to Fowler. Afterwards, they go to buy a few things for Nines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit slow. But the next chapter will be a little more interesting. It'll be angsty because I can't write anything but angst. Enjoy ^^

By the time the three had arrived at the station, Nines was almost asleep in Connor’s arms. The RK800 held the boy tightly against his chest and the beat of his Thirium pump had lulled him into a half asleep state. He barely registered that they got out of the car and into a building.

“Alright.” Connor said gently, pushing Nines away from his body a little bit. “We’re here. You can sleep as soon as we talked to Captain Fowler, alright?”

Hank nodded. “You can sleep in the car as soon as we leave the station.”

Nines nodded and lifted his head from where it was situated on his brother’s shoulder. “That’s alright. I can stay awake to talk to Captain Fowler.”

Suddenly they were approached by Tina. “Just the guys I wanted to see!” She smiled. “Fowler wants to talk to you guys. It’s about-” She stopped. “It’s about Nines. Where is he?” 

Hank pointed at the child in Connor’s arms. “He shut down and Connor emergency-transferred his memories to the YK500 model. That’s why Fowler wants to see us.”

“Oh no, will he get back to normal? What will happen now?” Tina asked, concerned. 

“We’ll talk about that to Captain Fowler.” Connor explained. “The RK900 unit should be repaired in two weeks at most. I’ll take care of him until then.”

“That’s sweet. You’re a really good big brother, huh?” The woman gently smacked Connor’s arm in encouragement. “That’s great.”

“Yes.” Connor smiled, flushing a little. “I suppose I am.”

“You are.” Tina insisted. “But I’ll leave you alone now. If Fowler knows that I’m holding you up he’ll be a bit pissed at me.”

“Probably.” Hank laughed a little. “Alright, Con. Let’s go.”

Connor nodded and put a hand to the back of Nines’ head before making his way to Fowler’s office. Once inside, the police captain didn’t even get a chance to speak or ask them to sit down, before Connor started to talk.

“Captain Fowler, I’m sure you already heard what happened from Detective Reed. But I must inform you before you say anything that I will not let Nines get into any danger. I will not let him follow us to crime scenes and I will not stand for him being anywhere that could endanger him. He’ll stay at the station or in Lieutenant Anderson’s car if we cannot leave him here with someone.” 

Fowler looked a little taken aback. “Connor, how about the three of you take a seat first and then we can talk about this all in detail? I'm sure you have Nines’ best interests at heart but we should really talk this through.”

Connor nodded, his cheeks flushing a bit at the realisation of how abrasive he had been. He quickly took a seat, situating Nines in his lap. Hank sat down on the chair next to him.

Fowler leaned forward. “Should we get you a chair, Nines?”

The android shook his head and his little hand grabbed at Connor’s jacket tightly. Both of the androids had been given proper police uniforms after the revolution.

“Alright, then stay with Connor.” Fowler then looked at both of them. “I’ve heard that you’ve uploaded Nines’ memories into a YK500 unit.”

“Yes, but I’d probably call it transferring more than uploading.” Connor agreed. “But that’s merely a formality.”

“And his old body is being repaired. I’ve contacted CyberLife and they said that it would take about two weeks. Am I right in assuming that he will stay with the two of you and that you will take care of him?” 

“Yes, of course.” Hank nodded, leaning forward. “He’s already part of the family, I’d say.”

Nines smiled gently at that. He was watching Connor’s face intently, his little eyes wide in admiration. His brother was being really protective of him.

“That’s good. I’d say that if he wants to, he can still help with the investigation. But as Connor requested, he’ll not be required to go to crime scenes if he doesn’t want to.”

“He won’t whether he wants to or not.” Connor said quickly. “I’m his big brother and right now I’m better at deciding what is good for him and what isn’t.”

“Calm down, Connor.” Fowler said firmly. “No one is trying to put him in harm's way.”

Connor nodded and started rubbing Nines’ back. “I’m sorry.” The android apologized, looking at the desk in front of him. “I just feel protective of him. He’s become like a little brother to me and now he needs me more than ever.”

“Con, no one wants to harm Nines.” Hank said gently, looking at the android. “We just need to assess the situation. But I think Fowler had a good idea. Why don’t we do it like he suggested and make adjustments as the time goes on?”

“Alright.” Connor took a deep breath. “Yes, that would be alright.”

“Good, I just need Nines to give me his badge and gun since he cannot perform his duties while he’s like this.” Fowler explained. “Or are they with the RK900 unit?”

“Yes, we left them with the RK900 unit.” Connor explained. “Chris must have them. You should ask him once he comes back.”

“Alright, I will. I think we’ve discussed all we had to. You may leave. You can take the rest of the day off to bring Nines home, alright?”

“Yes, thank you.” Connor smiled politely and stood up. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Captain.”

Fowler nodded. “Good, then I’ll be expecting you back tomorrow.”

With that, Hank, Connor and Nines left. Outside the office, they stopped and Hank nodded in the direction of Gavin.

“Should we tell him what’s going on?”

“Yes.” Connor said and started to stroke Nines’ hair. “You can sleep now, yes? We’ll just talk to Gavin and then we’ll get home.”

“We should pick up a few essentials on the way, like clothes. He only has the clothes his model was dressed in at CyberLife.” Hank mumbled.

“You're right, we should. But after that, we’ll go home.” Connor smiled and then approached Gavin. 

“Ah, you’re back already.” Gavin looked up. “What did Fowler say? Was he pissed about the situation?”

“He was rather calm.” Hank shrugged. “But I guess it was because Connor was very protective and intimidating from the start.”

“You? Intimidating?” Gavin started to laugh. “My toaster is more intimidating than you are!”

“I have no reason to intimidate you, Gavin. But I can be intimidating.” Connor smiled. “And I understand why you would find your toaster intimidating. I mean the bread popping up is really scary now, isn’t it?” His voice was thick with sarcasm.

Gavin leaned back and grinned. “Whatever you say, tin can.”

“Alright, Detective.” Connor grinned. “We’ll be taking Nines home now.”

“Wait, tell me what Fowler said!” 

“Well, are you going to behave?” Connor asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot in order to rock Nines a bit.

Hank was the one laughing now, much to Gavin’s annoyance. “Fine. I will.” The younger man grumbled.

Connor smiled politely and started to recount their conversation with Fowler to Gavin. Once he was done, he waited for Gavin’s response, still rocking from side to side. Nines was almost asleep at this point, his face cuddled into Connor’s neck and his little hands grabbing at his brother’s jacket.

“I see. Well, let’s just hope it’ll work out that well.” Gavin shrugged. “I got some paperwork left do so I guess I gotta do it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Gavin.” Connor waved and started to walk out, still swaying a bit, trying to keep up a motion similar to the rocking while he walked.

Hank nodded at Gavin and walked off after Connor and Nines. When he reached them, they had made it to the door of the station.

“Will you walk a little slower?” Hank grumbled.

“I’m sorry.” Connor chuckled. “I just want to get Nines to bed as soon as possible. He seems tired. He has barely spoken.”

“Well, maybe he’s just not as extroverted as you are.” Hank suggested, shrugging his shoulders. “Let’s buy him some clothes and get home. I’m hungry.”

\---

The three of them managed to buy a few clothes for Nines. They were only the necessities since they knew that Nines would only stay like this for about two weeks. Yet, Connor couldn’t help but buy him adorable pyjama sets. Hank couldn’t deny Connor the purchase of them. He had to admit that the dog and the bunny ones were actually rather cute.

When they finally got everything they needed, they made their way back to the car. Nines was walking along, holding Connor’s hand tightly. Hank was looking around for something to eat. When he spotted a Chinese place, he stopped.

“Will you two wait here while I buy something to eat?” Hank asked.

“I mean, we have to wait for you. You have the keys.” Connor teased.

Hank rolled his eyes jokingly and went off. “Just wait there. Don’t wander off.”

Connor nodded and looked down at Nines. “There’s a children's playset over there. Do you wanna go play?”

Nines shook his head, rubbing at his eyes. It wasn’t even late in the evening but his body had just gotten activated and with all the stress of the day, he was exhausted.

“Are you too tired?” Connor cooed, crouching down in front of the boy. “We’ll be home soon, yes?”

“Alright.” Nines whispered, his eyelids drooping. 

He silently reached out to Connor, his arms stretched. When he started to make grabby motions, the RK800 understood the implication and picked him up. Once he was picked up, he immediately cuddled back into Connor’s shoulder, holding the kitten Gavin had given him tightly.

“Sleep well, little brother.” Connor said gently and started to slowly pace around one of the big fountains in the mall, hoping the motion would make Nines fall asleep.

And it did. Within seconds, the boy had fallen asleep. His hand unclenched from Connor’s jacket and he slumped against the android. Connor smiled gently and held Nines a little tighter. 

That’s when Hank got back, carrying a little bag. “I got a surprise for Nines.”

Connor chuckled gently. “He’s asleep. You can give it to him later on. What is it?”

“They were selling cat plushes at the Chinese food place. I figured it was bigger than the once Gavin gave him and better to hold onto.” Hank explained.

“That’s so sweet of you.” Connor smiled. “I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Hank felt his cheeks heat up. “In case neither you nor I can be there to keep him company.”

Connor smiled even brighter -Hank wasn’t sure that was possible- and nodded. “A good idea, dad. Now let’s get him home, yes?”

Hank nodded. “Alright, son. Let’s get to the car. I bet Sumo is really anxious to see us and be fed.”

Connor nodded as he carried Nines to the car, holding him even tighter once they got outside into the biting wind that had been blowing through the city the whole day. He carefully sat down in the backseat with the boy and buckled both of them up. Nines mumbled something in his sleep when he was sat down, but quickly went back to sleep, slumping against Connor. The RK800 simply put an arm around him.

“Let’s head home.” Hank mumbled, starting the car and driving. “I want to be back before the storm actually starts. The weatherman said to prepare for heavy rainfall and thunder during the night.” 

“Then we should definitely hurry up.” Connor agreed. He shook his head when Hank sped up the car. “But that doesn’t mean that you should drive faster than the speed limit, dad.”

“Yeah, got carried away.” The older man grumbled. Yet, he listened to Connor and slowed down. “Good to have you in here to tell me, son.”

“Yes, it sure it.” Connor whispered and began to stroke Nines’ hair again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines gets scared of a thunderstorm but is too scared to ask Connor for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this ^^ It's still a little slow, I think. But it'll pick up soon.

The rain had started to pick up by the time Hank pulled into his driveway. He turned around to Connor and eyed him and Nines.

“Do you want me to get an umbrella?”

“No, it’ll be faster if I just quickly carry him inside.” The android answered.

Hank nodded and turned his head a little to look out into the rain. Then he shrugged his jacket off. “At least cover him with this.”

Connor smiled at that and took the jacket. “Thanks, dad. That’s nice of you.”

“Yeah, no need to praise me for being a decent fucking human being.” Hank mumbled and then chuckled a bit. “Now get him inside. I’ll unlock the door.” With that, he got out of the car.

Connor unbuckled them and quickly pulled Nines into his arms. The boy seemed a little bit more awake and wrapped his arms tightly around Connor’s neck. The RK800 smiled a little and covered him with Hank’s jacket.

“Alright, let’s get you to bed.” He whispered.

Nines nodded. “Thank you, big brother.”

Connor merely rubbed Nines’ back and then quickly got out of the car, sprinting to the front door and inside. Once in the living room, he put Nines down on the couch where the boy curled up and pulled Hank’s jacket over his shoulders.

“I got the clothes and the food inside.” Hank explained and opened the back door for Sumo who reluctantly went outside.

“Good.” Connor mumbled distractedly. “Can we leave him to sleep on the couch?”

“I mean that’s where he normally sleeps.” Hank mumbled. “I’ll get him the pillow and blanket. You can get him ready for bed. I’ll eat in the bedroom, so he can sleep.”

“I’ll join you later.” He explained and then went through the shopping bags until he found Nines’ new pyjamas. “Alright, champ. Let’s get you changed and into bed.”

The boy nodded and slowly sat up. He then began to unbutton his shirt. Within a minute or two, Nines was dressed in his new pyjama set and hugging a pillow.

“Is it alright, if I sleep here? You two seem to not be tired, yet.”

“No, it’s alright.” Connor smiled. “You need your sleep. I’ll go to sleep soon.” With that, he got up and walked into the kitchen to put food in Sumo’s bowl just in time for the dog to come back inside. Connor quickly closed and locked the door, just as thunder rolled over their heads.

Nines looked up quickly, his eyes focusing on the ceiling. “It’s a thunderstorm.”

“Yes, but you’ll be alright. Nothing can happen to you.” Connor promised.

Hank walked inside, pillows and a blanket piled on his arms. When he reached the couch he dropped them next to Nines. Nines looked up and quickly got a pillow to put at the end of the couch.

“I got something for you.” Hank explained and went into the kitchen to get the plush from the bag. When he was back in the living room, he held it out to the boy. “You know, just in case you’re feeling sad and none of us is there to comfort you.”

Nines looked at Hank, cautiously reaching out for the object. “Thank you, Hank.” He said gently as he took the kitten plush and held it to his chest.

“No problem, kid.” The man explained, leaning in to ruffle Nines’ hair. “Now you should probably get some sleep. Connor and I will be in my bedroom. We’ll be up for a little longer because I want to eat something.”

“Alright.” Nines smiled a little. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Hank nodded. “So if you need anything, just come over, yes? And don’t mind Sumo. He’s going to eat his food and he’ll be chewing very loudly. Once he’s done, he’ll just flop down on his dog bed and sleep.”

“That’s alright.” Nines nodded and slowly lied down, pulling the covers to his chin. “Good night.”

Connor smiled gently and leaned over to tuck Nines in a little tighter. “Will you be okay on your own?”

“Of course.”

“That’s good. If you need anything, call me. I don’t need sleep, as you know, so feel free to just wake me.” The RK800 explained before pressing a little kiss to Nines’ hair. “Now get some sleep. I’ll leave a little lamp on for you, yes?”

“Thank you, big brother.” Nines smiled. “Sleep well.”

“Good night.” With that, Connor went about closing the curtains, turning off the lights and switching on a little lamp on a table nearby.

Then they all settled for the night. The wind was still howling around the house when Connor and Hank finally settled for bed themselves and it was still howling when Nines woke up a few hours later.

He shot up on the couch, trying to figure out what woke him when thunder rolled above his head. It was louder his time. The storm was no doubt right above them. He clutched the plush to his chest and pulled his knees up, trying to curl in on himself as much as possible. Tears threatened to leak from his eyes and when another bolt of lightning cracked outside, they started to spill. Nines quickly covered his ears and curled further into himself.

The sound was so loud that it was almost deafening. If any other noise was there, Nines wouldn’t have been any wiser. He bit his lip tightly, trying to stop himself from crying too loud. He just had to calm himself down and get back to sleep. No way could he go and wake up Connor or Hank. They shouldn’t have to stay up all night to take care of him. It was just a different body, he tried to tell himself. But he didn’t understand why he was feeling more childlike.

Rising to his feet, Nines tip-toed to the door to Hank’s bedroom and peered inside. He thought that maybe just seeing Connor would calm him down. It kind of worked. The storm wasn’t as frightening anymore now that he knew that there were two other people right in front of him. But he still didn’t feel comfortable enough to go back to the couch. Thus he settled with sitting on the floor and just watching them while he calmed down.

Connor looked peaceful when he was lying next to Hank. Both of them were fast asleep and his big brother had one of his hands on Hank’s arm, probably to know that the other man was still there. Even his big brother needed someone to comfort him. Yet, Nines was still unsure of whether or not he could actually ask Connor for help. Nines leaned back and shut his eyes, holding the kitten close to his chest. 

He knew that his big brother wouldn’t be peacefully asleep if the storm was dangerous. But it was still so loud. Sleep was quickly trying to pull Nines into unconsciousness and when Sumo came over, the boy was almost asleep.

The big dog lied down next to him, putting his head on his lap. Nines smiled gently and leaned down to hug Sumo. Maybe sleeping like this for the rest of the night wouldn’t be too bad.

\---

Connor was awoken by an internal alarm that told him when to get up every morning. He slowly blinked his eyes open and looked to his side to find Hank still sleeping. They had about two hours to get to the station and Connor decided to start breakfast. His human friend needed sleep and the android didn’t. Thus he quickly sat up.

He was surprised to find Nines and Sumo sleeping in the doorway. The boy was half on top of the dog. Both of them seemed to not have woken up, yet. Quietly, he approached them and gently lifted Nines into his arms.

The boy clung to him and Sumo looked up, getting up once he seemed to realise that the little boy was no longer next to him.

“It’s alright, Sumo.” Connor whispered. “I’m merely putting him back to bed.”

When he had reached the couch and leaned in to put Nines down, the boy woke up. “Connor?” He asked hoarsely.

“Good morning, you silly little munchkin.” Connor chuckled affectionately. “You slept in the doorway?”

“I was scared of the storm but I didn’t want to wake you.” Nines whined and hugged Connor tighter.

“Oh no, you could have woken me up.” Connor said sadly and started to walk into the kitchen. “You can always wake me.”

“I made you sad.” Nines mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that!” Connor quickly interjected. “Just the thought of you being scared and too nervous to wake me while I sleep peacefully five meters away is sad. I would have helped you. I don’t need sleep.”

Nines only sighed and looked up at Connor, a sad expression on his little face.

“You trust me, right?” The RK800 asked gently. “Then you should be able to ask me for help, right?”

“I’ll try to do it next time I need help.” Nines promised quietly. “Are you making breakfast for Hank?”

“Yes.” Connor smiled and looked at the boy. “Do you want to help me?”

“Yes, please.” Nines nodded. “But can I help at all?”

“Of course you can, little munchkin.” With that, Connor put toast in the toaster and sat Nines down on the counter. “You just watch the toast and tell me once it’s done. We wouldn’t want it to burn, would we?”

Nines quickly shook his head. “No.” He said. “I’ll wait for the toast to be done.”

The android nodded at Nines and then started to crack some eggs. The boy smiled as he watched his big brother cook. Every time Connor turned to him, he smiled friendly before getting back to work on the eggs he was making. Nines just sat there, watching his brother in adoration. Connor was so good at everything and Nines was happy to have him as his big brother.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't go as planned when Nines has to tag along to a crime scene and is supposed to wait in the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't it great to upload two fics at the same time? I almost accidentally uploaded this to the Gavin-centric one. Whoops ^^°  
> I had to split this up again because it would have been too long but the next part will be up soon, too.  
> Enjoy ^^

“Connor, what’s wrong?“ Hank urged. “You’ve been distracted all morning.”

Connor startled. He hadn’t been listening to anything Hank had said. It made him feel guilty but he was too focused on watching over Nines who was currently being entertained by Tina. She was letting him colour while she did some paperwork, all the while giving him a few tips on sketching and drawing.

“I’m worried.” He admitted.

“Worried?” Hank leaned in, his elbows on his thighs. “About Nines?”

“Yes. He was scared of the storm last night. But he didn’t dare to wake me and ask me for help. Doesn’t he trust me? Doesn’t he feel comfortable around me?” Connor’s voice was strained, his negative feelings clearly shining through. Though his feelings could have easily been betrayed by the way his LED was continously spinning red.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hank leaned back, his voice not angry but surprised. “I think you’re actually the only person he trusts one hundred percent. He’s completely fixated with you. You’re his big brother.”

“I’m not so sure.” Connor mumbled. “Maybe he’s just so fixated on me because I’m the first person he saw when he came back. Last night he didn’t seem to trust me that much.”

“Have you ever seen how he looks at you? He looks at you like your some kind of god. He’s completely infatuated with you. You’re like his fucking hero or something. He does trust you.” Hank insisted.

“Are you sure? I just want to be a good brother for him. He’s so much more helpless and he really needs me. But I feel like I can’t help him if he doesn’t trust me.”

“Son, that’s bullshit and you know it. You’re there for him and he trusts you. And even if he may not trust you a hundred percent, that’s not that bad. Trust is built. Just show him that he can come to you if he needs help and he eventually will.” Hank explained away.

Connor’s head perked up and he smiled again. “That’s right. I just need to show him that I’m there for him.”

“Yeah, what I said.” Hank nodded and took another sip of his coffee.

Connor smiled gently and continued to watch his little brother.

\---

When the three approached the end of the shift, Hank and Connor were called to investigate a crime scene. There had been a break-in and a child android was taken from its home in the outskirts of the city. After asking around and finding no one that could watch Nines, they decided to take him along and leave him in the car.

Once they made it to the house, Hank turned to Connor. “I’ll go in, yes? You set Nines up and follow.”

Connor nodded. “I’ll be right behind you, dad.”

Hank nodded and exited. Connor turned to Nines in the backseat. “Alright, Hank and I will have to check out that crime scene. You’ll just stay here and wait for us to come back. The culprit should be long gone so you should not be in any danger. But remember what I told you to do if anyone comes?”

“I’ll get into the leg room of the backseat and out of the way of danger.” Nines whispered. “But Connor, I’ll be alright.”

“I know. But just in case something happens, yes?” The RK800 smiled. “I just want to look out for you.”

“Thank you, big brother. Will you hurry back?”

“I will.” Connor smiled back at his brother. “But you have your kitten with you and I’ll leave some music on.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Connor exited the car and went into the house. For about thirty minutes, nothing much happened until Nines noticed that Connor had forgotten his badge. So he quickly got it from the front seat and got out of the car.

He was able to get to the house without being stopped which was a little weird to him. But Nines didn’t know about the commotion inside that caused all the officers to be in the house and on high alert. When he entered the house, he was grabbed from behind and his back collided with someone’s legs.

When he looked up a strange looking man was holding him in place. Then he pressed a gun to Nines’ head. 

“Alright, you fuckers! You let me leave now or I will shoot the little kid.”

Nines was terrified and immediately tears started running down his cheeks as he sobbed quietly. “Please, I-”

“Be quiet!” The man snapped, pushing the gun harder against his skin. “I want you to stand back while I get to one of the cars and then you’ll let me drive off, I will let him go once I’m in the car!”

“Jack.” Connor began, holding up his hands. “That’s not going to be possible and you know that.” 

His eyes were filled with tears and he was eyeing Nines. The boy was still sobbing quietly and shaking like a leaf.

“Listen, Jack.” Connor began again. “We just want to take you to the station and ask you a few questions. If you’re so sure that you did nothing wrong, that shouldn’t be a problem. That little boy did nothing.”

“Why the fuck are you crying?” Jack snapped. “Is he like your son or something?” He looked down at the boy. “Your brother?” 

Connor froze for a second but shook his head. “Jack, let him go. We need to ask you a few questions and you might get charges for trespassing and child endangerment.”

“So he is your fucking brother? Do you want me to shoot him? See his little android brain plastered to the walls?” The man asked, but his voice wasn’t as biting anymore.

Connor saw that the probability of success at freeing Nines had risen from 67% to 75%. The man had been unsure of how to handle the situation from the start.

“He’s a little kid, Jack. He’s done nothing wrong.” Connor insisted. “Right now, you’re facing charges for trespassing and endangerment of a child. Don’t make us charge you for murder, Jack. You don’t want to hurt him and I can tell. You just want your safety guaranteed and I can do that. No harm will come to you if you just cooperate.”

89% CHANCE OF SUCCESS

Nines let out a heartbreaking sob. “Connor, please. I don’t want to die. I’m scared. I just wanted to help.”

95% CHANCE OF SUCCESS

“Don’t hurt him, Jack. Just put the gun down and follow us to the station. We just need to ask you about some of your coworkers and friends. You’ll have the right to consult a lawyer and no harm will come to you. I promise.”

“You promise?”

99% CHANCE OF SUCCESS

“I promise.” Hopefully this time, he would be able to keep his promise. “You can trust me.”

The man dropped the gun and Hank quickly swooped in the kick it away from him. Quickly, Nines managed to get free and run to Connor while the man was handcuffed and taken to one of the cars.

“Big brother.” He sobbed, clinging to Connor’s legs. 

Connor looked down at him and gently pushed him off. Nines stretched out his arms to him but Connor shook his head. “What were you thinking? You could have gotten shot! I told you to wait in the car!” His voice was raised but he was more worried than angry.

“I’m sorry!” Nines sobbed loudly. “You forgot your badge and-”

“Just wait in the car, please.” Connor mumbled. “Will you wait in the car while Hank and I talk to the other officers real quick?”

Nines nodded quietly, tears cascading down his cheeks as he quietly left the house and went back to the car. Connor was angry at him and didn’t even comfort him. He must have been really angry with him. What if he hated him? Nines quickly shook his head, willing the thought away before climbing into the car. He wanted to disappear. He was causing nothing but trouble for Connor and Hank. Quietly he slipped into the leg room of the backseat and pressed against the door, wanting no one to see him cry like that.

When Hank and Connor got back to the car a few minutes later, the man was continously telling the android how unfit his reaction was. “All I’m saying is that he didn’t know any better. You shouldn’t have yelled at him and sent him away.”

“I know.” Connor whispered. “I was so worried and angry at myself. I need to apologize.” When he made it to the car, he stopped. Nines wasn’t in the backseat. He quickly looked around, panic rising in his chest. “Hank, where is Nines?”

“What?” Hank saw the empty backseat. “Fuck, where is he?”

“I don’t know! That’s why I am asking you!” Connor snapped, feeling more and more helpless. “We need to find him.”

Hank nodded. “Son, calm down. Maybe he wandered off.” He looked around. “Nines?” He started calling out the boys name and Connor joined in.

After twenty minutes of yelling and other officers joining in, Connor broke down crying. 

“That’s all my fault! I sent him away! Oh God, dad, I’m such a bad brother!” He sobbed into his hands.

“We’ll find him. Maybe we should call him in as missing. We could get a search party looking for him especially after what happened to him here.” Hank inquired. “Where’s my phone?”

“In the car.” Connor said, tears running down his face. “Will you call him in? I’ll look around a little more.”

“I will, son. We’ll find him.” Hank rubbed Connor’s back and then went to the car. When he opened the backdoor, he stopped. “Nines?”

“Hank?” The boy looked up, sobs still wrecking his body. “A-are we going home? Does Connor hate me?”

“Connor!” Hank called out. “He’s in the leg room of the car!”

“Damn!” Connor swore. “Why didn’t I check the car first?”

“Well, you sure the fuck didn’t know that he could actually hide in there and be out of sight.” Hank mumbled, shrugging. “Get over here!”

Connor ran up to the car as quickly as he could and scooped Nines up to hug him tightly to his body. “Oh, my sweetheart. I thought you ran off or someone took you. I was so worried. Didn’t you hear us?” Connor asked, voice thick with tears but now they were tears of relief.

“No.” Nines whimpered. “I was crying. I-”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry.” Connor began to rock from one foot to the other. “I yelled at you and sent you away. I’m a terrible big brother.”

“No, you saved my life!” Nines perked up. “You’re the best big brother!”

“But I yelled at you.” Connor sniffled. “Can you give me another chance?”

“Yes of course.” Nines cuddled back to Connor, sniffling. “You don’t hate me?”

“What?” Connor was taken aback and looked at Nines. “I could never ever hate you, sweetheart. I love you so much. You’re my little brother. I was angry at myself for taking you here. I-”

“You’re rambling.” Nines said softly. “Can we go home, please?”

“Of course.” Hank nodded. “Get in the car. I’ll call Fowler on our way home.”

“No, you’re not going to call him while driving. I will contact him. Someone else can question the suspect.” Connor said and got into the backseat. “And you need a bath once we get home.” 

Nines looked up. “I do?”

“You’re full of dirt and dust from that old dirty house.” Connor said gently. “I’ll help you, alright?”

“Thank you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines and Connor spend the evening together with Hank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit slower but in the next chapter, there will be more action. ^^

Hank heard Connor and Nines laughing from inside the bathroom and smiled to himself, munching down on some leftovers while watching the news. 

Inside the bathroom, Connor was drenched and Nines was not even splashing around too much. Connor was just not accustomed to bathing other people. He showered regularly but bathing someone was not as easy.

Nines looked up at Connor, a smile on his face. “You’re so wet!” He laughed. “I didn’t even splash water on you.”

“Yes, well you moved around a lot. That splashes, too.” Connor chided jokingly. “Let’s get you out of the bathtub and into a cosy pyjama.”

“Alright.” Nines nodded and smiled up at Connor.

A few minutes later, Nines was dressed in his pyjama and Connor had dried off and changed into his own pyjamas. He took Nines by the hand and lead him into the living room.

Hank looked up and laughed. “I hope you didn’t flood the whole damn bathroom.”

“No, just the half damn bathroom.” Connor retorted with a grin. “What are you watching?”

“I was watching the news. Now I’m just flipping through channels. Wanna join?”

“Sure.” Connor smiled and sat down next to Hank, helping Nines onto the couch to sit between them. “But a kid’s movie, yes?”

Connor looked up when he saw a kid’s movie playing while Hank was flipping through the channels.

“What’s ‘The Emoji Movie’?” He asked.

“No, we’re not watching that. I can’t bear to watch it again. I only watched it because a friend and I wanted to laugh at it.” Hank shook his head, laughing.

“Then how about ‘The Lion King’?” Nines whispered. “It’s already started but it doesn’t seem to be far along, yet.”

“Sure, kiddo.” Hank nodded and leaned back. “You know, I’m surprised you went to have a bath without any fuss. Cole never liked baths.” 

Connor looked at Hank with a sad expression. “Well, some children seem to really like water, I guess.”

“Yeah, he never liked swimming that much either.” Hank mused. “Do you know how to swim?”

“I think, I should know.” Nines thought for a second. “I think I have a program installed for the right motoric movements.”

“Maybe we should take you swimming.” Hank suggested.

“That’s a great idea.” Connor nodded and looked at Nines. “What do you think? We could take you to the public pool on the weekend.”

“If you want to.” Nines mumbled shyly. “You don’t have to take me.”

“Ah, we will.” Hank shrugged. “Got nothing else planned after all.”

Connor smiled. “Yes, it’ll be fun.” He put an arm around Nines. “Now let’s watch the movie, alright?”

When the movie was eventually over, Hank started to get ready for bed and Connor was tucking Nines in. The boy shook his head and sat back up.

“You need to sleep, little brother.” Connor insisted, hoping the term of endearment would help. “Come on, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to.” Nines mumbled, holding the kitten plush close to his chest. 

“Why not?” Connor asked again.

That’s when Hank came walking into the living room from the bath. “What’s wrong? Why don’t you want to go to sleep? You look tired.”

“I’m not.” Nines insisted but his drooping eyes betrayed him and Hank couldn’t help but smile softly.

“I can tell that you’re tired. I have experience with kids.” Hank crossed his arms, his expression soft. “Go to sleep. We’re just in the next room, okay?”

Nines shook his head and then got onto his knees to whisper into Connor’s ear. Hank eyed them questioningly and Connor nodded along to Nines’ words.

“What did he say?” Hank asked.

Connor looked up at Hank and then at Nines. “Can I tell him?”

Nines looked down sheepishly and nodded a little. Connor smiled gently and rubbed the boy’s back.

“He asked if he could sleep in the bed with us tonight. I wouldn’t mind. Would you? It’s been a hard day.” The RK800 explained and looked back at Nines.

Hank watched them for a second. “I mean, I don’t see a problem with that.” He shrugged. “If you actually sleep.”

“Promise.” Nines nodded quickly and got off the couch, looking up at Connor.

“You should have asked straight away, you silly little munchkin.” He chided a little. “Now let’s go. Grab your kitten and come on.”

Nines nodded and grabbed the plush. “Her name is Connie.”

“Connie?” Hank asked, raising an eyebrow.

“After my big brother. But she’s a girl and Connor isn’t a girl’s name.” Nines explain matter-of-factly.

“I see.” Hank chuckled and went to bed. 

Connor and Nines followed and the RK800 helped the boy into the bed, tucking him in before lying down himself.

“Alright, just try to stay on your side.” Hank explained softly. “I don’t like people clinging to me when I sleep.”

“I’m always somewhat touching you when we share a bed.” Connor looked up.

“Yeah, I can tolerate that. But kids are a little more clingy when they sleep.” Hank shrugged. “Nothing personal, kid.”

Nines nodded and turned toward Connor, cuddling up to him. It was obvious that Hank didn’t see him as a son and it made the boy sad. Even when he was an adult it saddened him a bit but now that he was in the YK500 body, he felt a lump rise in his throat. No one had ever asked for him to be there and he was never going to be part of the family like Connor was. Hank was alright with him living there for Connor’s sake. If Connor was in the child body, he wouldn’t mind him being there.

Connor seemed to sense that Nines was feeling a bit sad and gently stroked his back. “You can always cuddle with me if Mr Grumpy-pants doesn’t want to.”

Hank didn’t answer to that and neither did Nines. The boy just clung tighter to Connor and eventually, the RK800 went to sleep as well.

\---

The next day went by without anything special happening. Nines spend most of the day with Gavin and Tina, while Connor and Hank interrogated Jack. He didn’t give them much information and insisted on having a lawyer there, so they couldn’t get anything else out of him.

The day after that was a Saturday. Hank and Connor were off work. So they decided to sleep in. When Connor woke up on Saturday, it was already 9 am. It wasn’t very late but it was definitely later than the time Connor normally got up. He turned to his side toward Nines who had asked to sleep in their bed, again. 

As soon as he turned, Connor felt affection spread through his chest. Nines was quietly sleeping on his back, one of his arms holding Connie and the other one stretched above his head. He was breathing softly, his little face completely relaxed. The most endearing part was that Hank had an arm protectively flung across Nines' body. Connor quickly stored a picture of the memory away. But he had to wake the two of them up. After all, they had plans for the day.

Thus he gently reached out for Hank, shaking him a little. “Dad, wake up. It’s 9 am. You wanted me to wake you at around 9 am.”

Hank grumbled as he woke up. “Around 9 am means not at exactly 9 am but rather a little later, Connor.”

“Well, you should have specified it.” He joked.

Hank opened his eyes and saw that he was holding Nines. He quickly withdrew his arm. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Connor asked gently. “I don’t think he minds.”

“I don’t know if he’d like me to hold him.” Hank mumbled. “I mean he doesn’t really trust me as much as he trusts you, I think.”

“But we can change that, right? You need to spend more time with him and gain his trust.” Connor smiled.

“Are you paraphrasing what I said to you a couple of days ago?” Hank chuckled.

Connor grinned at him. “Maybe.”

Hank sighed a little. “I just don’t know if he’s comfortable with me taking as much care of him as with you doing that.”

“Maybe we should ask him that later on. For now, we should get up, have breakfast and get ready.”

Hank nodded and slowly sat up. “You gonna make breakfast while I get ready and take a shower?”

“We’re going swimming today. Why would you shower beforehand? There’s so much chlorine in there that you will have to shower afterwards, again.” Connor asked, genuinely curious.

Hank stared at him for a second, seemingly realising the error of his plans and then shook his head. “Yeah, you’re right. Well, I still need to get ready, though.”

“I’ll make the breakfast like every morning.” Connor smiled. “But I’ll wake Nines up beforehand.” He watched Hank leave and then shook the boy’s body a bit. “Nines, wake up. We need to get ready if we want to take you swimming.”

The boy was immediately awake and sat up. “That’s today?”

“Yes, did you forget?” Connor chuckled.

“Kind of.” Nines mused. “Can I help you cook for Hank?”

“Yes, of course. Do you think pancakes are a good start into the day?”

Nines nodded enthusiastically.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank and Connor take Nines for a swim. It doesn't end all that well.

Nines looked up at the building as they approached it. The indoor waterpark was in a big building with the main swimming area having a glass roof. The boy was in awe as he looked at the colourful slides that wound around a tower that was connected to the main area.

Connor held his hand tighter as they entered the foyer that seemed a little crowded. The boy hugged his brother’s arm with his free hand while Hank paid for them. Then they went to change. 

“Alright, Nines. Let me help you dress in your swimsuit, yes?” He had bought the boy a swimsuit that consisted of swimming trunks and a matching short sleeved top made from the same material. The short sleeves of the top and a stripe at the side of the trunks had a fish print on it. 

He himself had gotten swimming trunks with a little bit of a fish print at the side. Connor wanted to match with Nines after all. The boy let himself be helped and the two were out of the changing room quickly.

Hank was not done, yet so Connor and Nines looked for a locker to put their belongings in. 

The RK800 looked at the boy. “You are sure, you know how to swim? If not we need to get you floaties.”

“No, I know how to swim.” Nines promised. “I got all the necessary software to help me with the motoric part of swimming.” He tried to explain.

Connor nodded along and then smiled. “Alright, little fishy. Now we just wait for dad to come out and then we can have fun.”

“Your dad.” Nines corrected quietly and started to fiddle around with the hem of his swimsuit. Connor looked at him sympathetically.

“He just doesn’t know you that well, yet. I’m sure he’ll want you as part of the family in no time.” He promised. “God knows, he hated me when we first met.”

“How could anyone hate you?” The boy asked and looked at the RK800. “You’re the best police officer, friend and big brother ever.”

Connor chuckled at that and ruffled the boy's hair. “I’m sure he’ll get around to liking you. Don’t worry about that, little brother. If you want I can talk to him.”

“No!” The boy exclaimed. “I don’t want him to feel forced into anything! He doesn’t have to be my dad if he doesn’t feel comfortable with it. It would just be nice.”

His big brother sighed sadly and went to pick the boy up. “Now you come here, you little fishy. Don’t be sad. No matter if Hank sees you as a son or not, I’ll always be your big brother. And I love you very much.”

Nines quickly hugged Connor. “I love you, too.”

That’s when Hank rounded the corner and spotted them. “There you two are! You ran off to find a locker somewhere far from our changing rooms.” He laughed a little. “I got lost looking for you.”

“The locker rooms aren’t that big, dad.” Connor teased. “Maybe it’s your orientation failing you.”

“Oh, very funny, you know-it-all.” Hank laughed and shook his head before giving Connor’s shoulder a tight squeeze. “And I see you’re back to spoiling Nines and not letting him walk by himself.”

Connor smiled a little. “He wasn’t feeling that good and I wanted to comfort him.” He then joked. “Can you believe that? Someone comforting a child by giving them affection?”

“Is he sick?” Hank looked over Nines, a worried expression on his face. “Can he get sick? Should we leave?”

“No, he’s fine. He was a little sad.” Connor explained and Nines nodded along.

“Why? What happened?” 

“Not that important right now.” Nines mumbled. “It’s fine.”

Hank nodded, not quite convinced and then looked at the locker that they had chosen. He put his clothes in there and then went to lock it. A laugh left his mouth as he saw what locker number they had chosen.

“800? Really?” Hank chuckled.

“It’s easier to remember.” Connor shrugged.

“’Cause it’s not like the number is on the key.” With that, he held up the little belt that the key was attached to before securing it around his wrist. 

“Let’s just go.” Connor chuckled and with that, they went off to the showers. 

After a quick shower, they entered the main swimming area which was a big pool that was decorated with plants and rocks. Connor set Nines down and the boy looked around in interest.

“Alright, you can go into the pool if you want to. I’ll look for a beach chair to relax on.” Hank explained while looking around.

“But you need to come into the water with us.” Connor insisted.

Hank sighed and smiled a little. “Later, alright, son? Let me relax a little. That is if I find an empty beach chair.”

Nines smiled at Hank. “That’s alright. I’m sure you’ll be able to find us later on.” 

“See? Nines agrees with me.” Hank chuckled. “Now let an old man relax at the poolside on his day off, please.”

“Alright, dad.” Connor chuckled and rolled his eyes a little before grabbing Nines’ hand. “Now, little fishy. Where do you want to go first?”

“Can we go on one of the slides?” He asked excitedly.

“Sure, we can.” Connor nodded and waved at Hank before going off to the slides.

The slides were in a little tower where each one of them had a different entrance. Nines looked at the slides and quickly decided on a half-open water slide.

“You sure you don’t want to go on the superfast, super dark and super narrow one?” Connor joked.

“No.” The boy quickly shook his head and pulled Connor toward the smaller one. “That’s too scary.”

“It was a joke, silly.” Connor laughed. “We’ll slide together, yes? You’ll sit in between my legs and I’ll hold you so you don’t hurt yourself.”

Nines nodded along and followed his brother. They used a few other slides afterwards and eventually went back to Hank to convince him to get into the water with him.

When they had made it back to Hank after an hour of sliding, Connor got a message from Gavin to call him. He quickly excused himself to call the man and left Nines with Hank at the poolside. 

Gavin merely informed him about something that Chris had found out about the case. Yet, it wasn’t much help. He would definitely have to interrogate the culprit on Monday when he came back in with his lawyer. Then Connor made his way back to Nines and Hank.

Connor heard the commotion before he saw it. Hank and some woman were yelling at each other. And the woman was furious.

“You tell that damn android to stay away from my child!” She snapped.

“They were playing, you idiot!” Hank retorted. “Can’t your kid play with other kids?”

“They can, but not with androids.” She hissed at him.

Hank scuffed at that. “You know that they are considered actual people, right? After the revolution and all that stuff!”

When Connor turned the corner around one of the decorative rocks, he saw the scene. Most of the people around the two had scurried away. Now it was just Hank and the woman standing in the shallow water of the slope that gradually lead to the deep water. The woman had her son behind him who was looking rather sad. Nines was sitting in the water behind Hank, looking as if he had fallen. He was crying, too.

“That doesn’t mean they have to play with my son!” She yelled.

“Listen, lady. Just take your kid and leave us the hell alone.” Hank grumbled before shaking his head. “But I swear to God, if you ever push my child again, you will regret it, do you understand me?” He bellowed.

Connor was frozen in his tracks. The woman clearly didn’t like androids and he feared that interfering would only anger her more. So he had to trust Hank to resolve the situation.

“I can’t believe it!” She gasped. “You’re threatening me?”

“You can bet your ass, I am! You harm my kid and I will threaten you! Now sod off before I get you kicked out for pushing kids around!” He shouted.

With that, the woman grabbed her son’s hand. “Come on, Tyler. We don’t associate with such rude people.” She said angrily and lead the boy off.

“Oh, I’m the rude one, huh?” Hank grumbled, calmer now that the woman was gone. “Real big coming from you.”

Once she was gone, he turned around and knelt down in the water to examine Nines. The boy was still crying, not looking up at him and holding his arm.

“Did you get hurt?” Hank asked softly. When Nines didn’t answer, he grabbed his shoulder gently. “Hey, kid. Did you get hurt?”

The boy shook his head and sobbed quietly. “Not bad. Just my arm.”

“Can I see?” Hank took the boy’s arm and examined it, finding nothing wrong with it. “It doesn’t look that bad to me and I should know. I hit my arm on things all the time because I’m so damn clumsy.” He joked.

Nines chuckled through his tears and rubbed his eyes. “It’s not bad?”

“No, you know what will help?” Hank asked and opened his arms. “A big hug.”

He didn’t have to ask twice. Nines got up quickly and fell into Hank’s arms, clinging to the man and sobbing quietly.

“I just wanted to make friends.”

“I know.” Hank got up and walked out of the water. “And the boy liked you. You could have been friends, had his mother not been a prick.”

That’s when Connor saw it fit to step in. He quickly jogged over to them –ignoring the ‘No running’ signs like the true deviant he was.

“Nines, are you alright, sweetheart?” He asked worriedly once he had approached them.

Nines nodded a little and held onto Hank’s shoulder. “Y-yes, Hank stepped in. She pushed me a bit and I slipped and fell.”

“Oh no.” Connor gasped and leaned in closer. “You didn’t get hurt, right?”

“I hit my elbow but Hank said it wasn’t that bad.” Nines mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, don’t rub your eyes.” Hank murmured. “They’re gonna get irritated.”

Connor gently rubbed Nines’ back. “Don’t worry. We’re here now and nothing can happen to you. I promise. Do you still want to swim a bit?”

“We haven’t been to the outside area.” Hank suggested. “They have a little ride where you go onto a floating tire and just let yourself be carried back inside by the water.”

“Is it fast?” Nines asked, a little scared.

“No, it’s really calm.” Connor promised. “Do you want to go on that before we go home?”

“Yes. Can Hank come, too? In case someone like that lady comes?” 

Hank sighed a little. “Well, I can’t say no to you anyway so let’s go.”

The ride took about twenty minutes and afterwards, all of them decided to go home. Connor lead Nines to the changing rooms while Hank took a cubicle of his own. While Connor was helping Nines put on a shirt, the boy sighed sadly.

“What’s wrong? Don’t listen to these mean people. Some people still don’t like androids. But I’m sure they will learn that we are people.” Connor promised. “Don’t be scared.”

“Hank called me his kid.” Nines whispered. “But I’m sure he doesn’t really see me as such. You’re his son but even if I’m your little brother, I’m really not.”

“Don’t be sad, Nines.” Connor whispered softly. “No matter if he calls you his son or not, he will always care for you. I know that. You can trust me on that one.”

“Really?” Nines sniffled. “He cares for me? You two are such a nice family and I always feel like I’m not supposed to be there.”

“Now don’t say that.” Connor hugged the boy tightly. “You’re supposed to be there. I want you to be there and Hank surely does, too.”

“Are you sure?”

“Totally sure.” 

\---

The rain was pouring on the pavement when the trio arrived at the front door of the swimming centre. Hank sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“The rain couldn’t have waited like ten more minutes until we were home?” He grumbled.

Connor chuckled a bit. “Hank, the rain won’t wait for anything or anyone.”

“That was figurative speech, you smartass.” 

“Oh, I’m well aware of that.” Connor rubbed Nines back a little. “Well, I would make a run for it but I don’t want Nines to get sick. His jacket isn’t very warm and I don’t have an umbrella.”

Hank thought for a second before removing his jacket. He quickly draped it over Nines head and then bent down to pull it around him so that it was covering everything but his face.

“Just hold onto the jacket like that and it will keep you warm and dry, okay?” He asked the boy. 

Nines looked surprised and stared at Hank with big blue eyes. “But you need-”

“Nah, I really don’t need it. I dress in layers anyway.” He joked before ruffling the boy’s hair. “Wouldn’t want you to get sick now, would I?”

“No.” Nines shook his head gently and held onto the jacket.

Connor smiled and nodded. “Now on the count of three we all make a run for the car, yes?” Everyone nodded and he began to count. “One, two-”

Hank started to run to the car, keys ready in his hand. The android sighed and grabbed Nines’ hand.

“Good to know that you can count to three!” He called after Hank as he took off to the car as well, gently pulling Nines along.

“Oh shut up!” Hank called back and unlocked the car, opening the door for the boy.

Connor quickly helped Nines inside and then he and Hank got into the car as well. The android shook himself a bit to get rid of the water and then turned to Nines. Hank was already turned towards Nines in the backseat.

“You didn’t get too wet.” He nodded, proud of his idea to use the jacket to shield the boy from the rain. “At least you won’t get sick now.”

Connor smiled as he watched Hank reach back to dry off Nines’ face with the sleeve of his pullover. The boy scrunched up his face at that but didn’t argue, obviously happy about Hank caring for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you liked it ^^  
> I don't know if this is interesting to people so I'd appreciate some Comments and feedback. It would also be awesome if you could tell me if you have any ideas you'd like to see.  
> But now pressure, I do have ideas myself especially for the next few chapters. Just wondering if this is interesting and what the readers would find interesting.  
> Bye ^^


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines gets sick and with Connor and Hank on a case, Gavin had no other options but to care for the boy.

Despite the best efforts of Hank and Connor to keep Nines warm, the boy immediately knew that he was sick when he woke up two days later. Apparently, the sickness needed a day to fully show itself. But all throughout the Sunday Nines felt slightly sick. 

When he woke up on Monday morning between Hank and Connor, he knew he was sick. His throat hurt and was irritated. His head was pounding and he felt way too warm yet also way too cold. Seeking comfort, he immediately cuddled close to Connor. The android woke up at that and looked down at the boy.

“Good morning, you snuggle bug.” Connor said gently and ruffled Nines’ hair. “Shall we get up to make breakfast for Hank?”

Nines nodded. He really didn’t want to bother Connor or Hank and he surely didn’t want to interfere with their work. The android was sure that he would be fine if he took things slow and put on a warm sweater.

\---

Connor knelt down in front of Nines. “Alright, little brother. Hank and I will be at the crime scene now. You’ll stay here with Gavin, yes? He’ll watch over you but he needs to do paperwork, too, so behave for him.”

Nines nodded and hugged himself. “Will you be back soon?”

“Yes, of course. We’ll be back as soon as we can. You have your Connie kitten and you have something to draw with if you get bored.” With that Connor ruffled the boy’s hair. “Now you could draw Gavin a nice picture, alright? If anything bad happens, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“See you later. Please watch out for yourself.”

“Of course.” Connor smiled and then turned to leave.

Gavin eyed the boy and then went back to paperwork. This went on for half an hour before Nines’ headache got worse and he was shaking all over. He curled in around the plush and groaned quietly.

“What’s up?” Gavin asked, still writing on the files.

“Nothing.” Nines whispered and curled in on himself further but tears started to run down his cheeks as he sniffled. He felt terrible and all he wanted was his big brother but he didn’t want to interfere with his work.

“Listen, kid. Don’t lie to me. If I want to fucking help you, I need to know what’s going on.” Gavin looked at the boy. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t feel good.” Nines sniffled, rubbing his eyes. “My head hurts.”

“Can you get sick? Wait let me look it up.” He went back to his computer and then nodded. “Child androids can fake sickness.”

“Yes, they can.” The boy rubbed his eyes again, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Gavin checked his watch. Connor and Hank wouldn’t be back for a while. Thus he decided that it was up to him to take care of the boy. He got up and knelt down in front of Nines.

“Alright, Connor and Hank will probably not be back soon. Should we call them or are you okay with me watching you for an hour or so?”

“No, don’t call them. I don’t want to distract them.” Nines whispered.

Gavin nodded, recalling how he once took care of his goddaughter when she was over for a visit and got sick. “Okay, let’s take you to the bathroom first. We should get you a cooled down a little. Leave your plush here, otherwise, it’ll get wet.”

“But I want-” Nines began but then nodded. “Alright. C-can I take the kitten plush you gave me? I have to buckled to my pants.”

“Yeah, take it.” Gavin nodded and then held out his hand. “Now come along. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

“Thank you, Gavin.” Nines said politely and let himself be lead into the bathroom. 

When Gavin entered, one of the other officers there seemed a bit annoyed about Nines being there, complaining about privacy.

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Dude, fuck off. The kid is sick. Cut him some slack.”

The man rolled his eyes. Gavin knew it was because the man didn’t like him but Nines didn’t know that. And he looked at the floor sadly.

“I’m interfering with their work.” He whispered.

“Oh, don’t mind Brandon. He’s a dick.” Gavin mumbled and then lifted Nines up onto the counter with the sinks. “Now you stay here and I’ll get a towel wet to cool you down.” 

Nines nodded and watched as Gavin snatched two of the towels on the counter before turning on the water and letting it run until it was cold.

“Those towels are not for-”

“Ah, no one’ll care.” Gavin waved his hand dismissively. “They’ll just have to use something else to dry their hands. Now sit tight.” 

Then Gavin held the towel underneath the water and wet them. After putting them down to dry a little, he walked over to Nines.

“Alright, kiddo. Where does it hurt?” 

“My throat hurts and my head. And I fill too hot but also too cold.” Nines whimpered. “I want my big brother. But he’s busy.”

Gavin worried his lip and nodded. “Connor’s probably gonna be back soon. I can’t really get you medicine because you are an android but I’ll help you cool down.”

“But I’ll get cold.” Nines complained quietly with a whine.

Gavin nodded along, apparently deep in thought. “Well, I’ll but the cold towels on your forehead and neck and then I’ll take you to my desk. I think I have a blanket stored there somewhere.”

Nines nodded and sniffled a little, a few tears spilling from his eyes. “You’re being so nice to me.”

“You’re a little kid and you’re sick and miserable. Of course, I’d be nice and help you.”

The android nodded and wiped his eyes. He held still as Gavin put one of the towels in his neck and the other one on his forehead. When the man took a step back, Nines looked up at him.

Gavin felt really bad for the kid. He was still crying lightly and shaking but still too hot. And neither Hank nor Connor would be back in the next few hours. But he’d be damned if he didn’t take care of Nines. He knew all too well what it felt like to be sick and have no one that took care of him.

“I think I should carry you to the desk. You’re shaking and we wouldn’t want the towels to fall off, right.” He carefully lifted Nines into his arms and the boy immediately went to cuddle up to Gavin, seeking warmth. “Just watch out so that the towel doesn’t fall off.”

With that, he made his way back to his desk. On his way, he flipped off Tina who was laughing and commenting on how sweet Gavin was being. When he arrived at his desk, the female officer ran up to him.

“Is he sick?”

“Yeah, you happen to know when Hank and Connor will be back?”

“Probably in an hour; give or take 30 minutes.” She shrugged and looked at Nines. “Anything I can do for you?”

“Can you hand him his plush? It’s on the desk.” Gavin nodded his head in the direction and Tina immediately did so.

“Here you go, sweetie. Gavin will take care of you, yes? He knows a thing or two about taking care of children.” She smiled. “And you act like you’re so cold, Gavin.”

Gavin rolled his eyes and started to rock from side to side slightly. “Stop making fun of me and get back to work, Chen.”

“Whatever you say, Reed.” She grinned and walked off.

Gavin went to sit Nines down but the boy clung to him tighter. The man looked down at the android.

“I need to put you down to get the blanket.”

“No.” Nines whined. “I feel bad. You’re warm. I want a hug.”

“Nines, I-”

That’s when Nines started to cry in earnest. It was all too much for him. He felt terrible and sick and all he wanted was his brother and Hank. But both of them were not there. Even if they were there, he wasn’t sure whether or not they would have the time to take care of him. And now Gavin was pushing him away.

The detective froze as the android started to cry. Several other people looked up, some muttering about what Gavin had done to make the boy cry.

Gavin quickly started up a rocking motion again, holding the boy. “It’s alright. Don’t cry. You can sit in my lap while I work, alright? No need to cry.”

But the boy had worked himself up so much that he couldn’t stop. He was so hysterical that even Fowler came out of his office, concerned for the boy but also suspicious about what Gavin had to do with it.

“Why is he crying?” Fowler demanded. “Reed, what the hell did you do? Put him down. Stop bothering him!”

“I didn’t do anything!” Gavin defended himself. “If anything I helped him! And me wanting to put him down caused this, just so you know!”

“Well, calm him down, then.” Fowler shook his head. “And Reed, if I find out that you did anything to him, there will be consequences.”

“Can I go outside or to the meeting room?” Gavin requested and Fowler nodded.

“Just calm the kid down.”

Gavin rolled his eyes a little and quickly went off to the meeting room, shutting the door behind himself. Once there, he began to pace the room, rocking from side to side a little in order to calm Nines down. 

“Listen, kid. You really need to calm down. If you keep crying like that you’ll only make it worse.” Gavin explained softly.

“I-I just want Connor!” Nines sobbed loudly. “I need Connor!”

“I know.” Gavin whispered and then decided that being gentle and sweet would probably help. Connor was also gentle with Nines and rather sweet. He figured that being a bit more like Connor would do some good. “I know, sweetheart.”

Nines sobbed quietly and looked up. “Connor calls me ‘sweetheart’, too.”

“Oh, does he know?” Gavin asked, acting really surprised. “Well, that’s a funny coinkidink.” He rubbed the boy’s back.”

“It’s coincidence.” Nines chuckled a bit, his tears lessening.

Gavin faked a surprised gasp. “Really? Damn, why didn’t anyone tell me sooner? And to think I went my whole life thinking it was coinkidink.” He took one hand and put it to his forehead to further look as if he just found out about it.

Nines giggled at that and put a hand in front of his mouth. “You’re silly, Gavin.”

“So I’ve been told.” The man shrugged before going back to pacing the room. “You calmed down a bit. That’s good.”

“Yes.” Nines whispered, cuddling to Gavin and holding his plush really tight. “I miss my brother.”

“I know. It’s hard to be away from him when you’re sick.” Gavin concluded. “But he’ll be back soon. And then he’ll take you home because you’re sick.”

Nines nodded and closed his eyes.

“You know what sick kids get?” Gavin asked. “They get to sit on the couch and watch their favourite movie. And they get ice-cream –well maybe not android kids. But they get a warm blanket.”

“Did you get a warm blanket and your favourite movie when you were sick as a kid?”

“Well, not really.” Gavin mumbled.

“Then your blanketed statement of ‘what sick kids get’ is not really true. Not all sick kids get that.” Then the boy yawned and lied his head back against Gavin’s chest.

“Even when you’re sick and tired you’re a smartass, huh?” The man chuckled. “Now how about we get back to my desk, you stay in my arms so I can keep you warm and I do my paperwork while you sleep?”

“Can I get the warm blanket, too?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Gavin whispered and put the wet cloth back to the boy's forehead because it had fallen down when Nines started to cry.

“Thank you, Gavin.”

And that was how Connor found them. Gavin was sitting at his desk, trying his best to move as little as possible while Nines was wrapped in a blanket, a wet cloth on his forehead and one of Gavin’s arms protectively around him.

“What happened?” The android whispered.

“Well, I think Nines is sick. I’m no doctor but I’m pretty fucking sure.”

“Why didn’t you call us?” Hank inquired, a little irritated.

“You were busy and I had everything under control. Also, Nines didn’t want to interrupt your work.” Gavin shrugged and looked down at the boy. “Are you taking him home now?”

“Yes, definetly.” Connor said. “Would you tell Captain Fowler that we left?”

Gavin nodded. “Sure.” 

Then he got up and handed Nines over to Connor. The boy whined but quickly calmed down when Connor held and shushed him. The RK800 looked down at the little boy and sighed worriedly. He would have to take good care of the boy now. But he was glad that Gavin had been there for Nines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one ^^  
> Just a heads-up that this fanfiction will not be as long as the de-aged Connor one. It'll probably be like 4 or 5 more chapters.   
> See you soon ^^


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank watches over Nines while Connor is at CyberLife, trying to find something that could help Nines.

Hank eyed Connor and Nines worriedly as the android carried the boy to the car. He knew that something was wrong with Nines ever since he and Connor got ready to leave the station but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

“What’s wrong with him?” Hank questioned. “Is he sick?”

“Hit the nail on its head.” Connor said gently, petting Nines’ hair. “He’s sick and I think I might need to pick up some ‘medicine’ from CyberLife. He has a pretty high fever. And I think CyberLife might have something that he can take to lower the fever. I know child androids simulate sickness. But his fever is too high.”

“Oh shit.” Hank said -eloquently as ever- and reached out to feel the boy’s cheek. “Oh, he’s really warm. You should contact CyberLife.”

“I will. But you’d have to watch him while I get the ‘medicine’.” Connor said and sat Nines down in the backseat, buckling him up. “Hey, sweetheart. We’ll go home now, yes?”

“Yes.” Nines whispered, closing his eyes again. “I’m way too hot.”

“I know.” Hank said softly and leaned down. “But we’ll get you some medicine or something to make you feel better.”

“Thank you.” Nines croaked, his head rolling to the side.

Hank watched the boy and couldn’t help but be worried sick. The way Nines was shivering and mumbling reminded him of the time Cole had gotten really sick. The doctors had told him that with a little medicine he would have been fine again in no time but Hank had not been able to stop worrying. He had spent two nights sleeping in the same bed as Cole, watching over him to make sure he was alright.

“I’ll watch over him for as long as you need me to. You make sure to get everything that could make him feel better.” Hank explained and got into the car.

Connor buckled himself in and smiled. “Thank you, Hank. That’s good to hear.”

\---

Nines was not taking Connor’s plan to leave well. As soon as Connor started heading for the door, Nines was up and shakily making his way over to his brother. Once there, he grasped onto Connor’s jacket and wouldn’t let go.

Connor sighed and rubbed the boy’s hair. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Hank’ll take good care of you. Maybe you can convince him to watch a movie with you.” 

Nines didn’t seem happy with that suggestion. “Please just stay, big brother.”

“Nines, listen. I need to ask CyberLife what to do to make you feel better. Your fever is way too high. Just sit tight and let Hank take care of you.” Connor explained softly. “If I didn’t trust Hank to take good care of you, I wouldn’t leave you alone with him.”

“But I want you to stay.” Nines exclaimed, starting to cry again.

Connor looked at Hank for help. While he knew how to calm Nines down, he really had to leave and he hoped that Hank knew what to do. Hank quickly came to his aid and went over to scoop Nines up into his arm. The boy protested, reaching out for Connor but Hank turned away from the door, carrying him back to the couch.

“Don’t leave, please.” Nines sobbed but instead for reaching for Connor, he let himself drop against Hank’s body. Whether it was in exhaustion or defeat, Hank couldn’t tell.

“I’m still here.” Hank promised. “And Sumo’s still here.” 

“But I need Connor.” Nines sobbed. He felt so bad. Everything hurt and when he tried to walk, the whole room started spinning. He had tried to keep acting like an adult but he couldn’t.

“He’ll be back soon. How about the two of us just relax on the couch, huh? We can watch a nice movie if you want to.” Hank explained. “You like cats, right? How about we watch ‘My Neighbour Totoro’? There’s a cat-bus in there. That’s really cool, right?”

Nines looked up, tears still running down his cheeks. He held a finger to his mouth and started to pull his lip with it. “A cat-bus?” He whispered. “How does that work?”

Hank smiled warmly. He could tell that Nines was interested and that was good. Still, he had to actively try and ignore the lump that kept rising in his throat at the realisation of how much Nines acted like Cole at that moment.

“You’ll find out if we settle on the couch to watch the movie. But only if you promise not to cry and if you let me put a cold cloth on your forehead.”

Nines nodded and let himself be sat down on the couch. “I’m sorry for crying.”

“No, it’s not because I’m annoyed by your crying. You’ll feel worse if you cry.” Hank called from the kitchen as he prepared the cold cloth. 

When he got back, Nines was wrapped in a blanket, holding his plush to his chest. Hank sat down next to him and placed the cloth against his forehead, wrapping an arm around the boy so he could lean against him and so he himself could hold the cloth in place.

Nines sighed in relaxation and leaned against Hank, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them again when Hank started the movie.

“You’ll like it.”

And Nines did like the movie. But as soon as he had managed to see the cat-bus, he was already falling asleep against Hank, the exhaustion of his sickness catching up to him. Hank just looked at him, gently adjusting the cloth so it was covering his forehead.

When the movie neared its end, Nines started to wake up again. He blinked up at Hank and rubbed his eyes.

“Is the movie over? Oh no, I fell asleep.” He whispered.

“It’s half as bad, kid. We can watch it again when you feel better.” Hank assured the boy. “But it all ended well for the characters.”

“That’s good.” Nines whispered and leaned back against Hank as the watched the two girls in the movie look at their father and mother interacting inside of the hospital. “Is the mother feeling better?”

“It seems like she is.” Hank looked down at Nines. “I’m sure she’ll be home soon. And I’m sure the dad will take good care of the girls until then.”

Despite the good news about the characters in the movie, Nines’ face fell and his eyebrows furrowed. “I wish I had a dad.” As soon as the words had left his lips, he sat upright and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I- don’t be mad at me- I just-”

Hank was a little taken aback. He was not sure what to say to the boy or how to calm him down. Nines seemed genuinely upset about not having a father but Hank didn’t know if he wanted him to be his father. And Hank didn’t know if their relationship was close enough for that. It hurt to see Nines this upset so Hank tried his best to calm the boy down.

“Don’t panic.” He assured. “It’s alright. You don’t have to apologise. Fuck, I really don’t know what to say to you. I mean do you want me to be your dad ‘cause that’s what it sounded like?”

“You don’t have to be!” Nines exclaimed, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “I just see you as a dad and you probably don’t see me as a son like Connor b-but that’s fine! Don’t be my dad but don’t be angry please!”

“I’m not angry at you, kid.” Hank assured, rubbing the boy’s back. 

He looked to the side, eyeing the photo of Connor and Nines that was standing on the mantlepiece. That’s when he felt that he’d been unfair to Nines. Nines was part of the family and had been for months but he never even acknowledged him as such. Whether or not he felt as if he’d done wrong by calling Connor his son and Nines his roommate he knew that it was wrong not to acknowledge that he was part of the family.

“Alright, you’re Connor’s brother, right? So I guess that makes you my son.” Hank explained, trying to not let his uneasiness show. “I mean aren’t you already kind of my son, anyway?”

“I am?” Nines looked up, a small smile spreading over his lips. “And you’d be my dad?”

“I mean I don’t know why you’d want a piece of trash like me to be your dad but sure.” Hank joked, now overplaying his feelings. And Nines caught on.

The boy quickly climbed into Hank’s lap and hugged him tightly. “Of course!” He exclaimed, a little too close to Hank’s ear but the man said nothing. “You’re so nice, sweet and protecting of Connor and I. You’re not a piece of trash!”

Hank rubbed the boy’s back. “Let’s get you ready for bed, shall we?”

“But dad, you’re great!” Nines insisted.

“Alright, kid. Calm down.” The man smiled a little. “Let’s get you ready for bed. You need to rest.”

“But Connor’s not here.” Nines whispered, his voice betraying how upset he was. “I need my big brother there.”

“You have your dad here now. I’ll take care of you.”

“Can I sleep in your bed?” The boy asked, his big blue eyes swimming with tears.

Hank sighed softly and got up, lifting the boy into his arms. “Sure thing, son.”

Nines smiled and held onto Hank, slowly relaxing in his hold even if Connor was gone. Hank smiled softly as he carried the boy to the bedroom. He wondered when he had become everyone’s dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it ^^  
> Leave a Kudos or Comment if you did and want to.  
> See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I don't know how long this will be. But it'll be a few more chapters. And if you like my other WIPs then don't worry, I will continue them.  
> Again, I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a Kudos or a Comment if you want to. See you soon ^^


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